CEO Blogging and the merits of the common flu

Yes, you got it. I am home with the flu. So suddenly the blog gets some attention. And I expect that if you track other CEO's blogs, and see sudden spikes in creativity, it means something similar. That is, of course, assuming they write it themselves, which is this case.

WorldMate Live on the BlackBerry Storm and the Storm vs. iPhone debacle

Last week, we released a version of WorldMate Live that supports the latest BlackBerry Storm. This is probably one of the first "real" Storm apps, i.e. one that works with the new touch-based user interface and was customized especially for the Storm, rather than an existing BlackBerry app that runs in "compatibility mode".



Of course, everyone asks me what I think of the Storm. It looks like the pre-release campaign was very effective. I was presenting at a conference the other week, and while I was backstage with my BlackBerry Bold in hand, one of the secretaries asked me "Is that the new BlackBerry Storm?", I told her it wasn't, and the Audio equipment guy tells her "it can't be, they're only releasing it on the 21st...". So if average Joe audio guy can recite your launch date, it probably means you got some people excited. The question is - how will they react to the actual product?

Well, a couple of weeks later we have some Storm lovers and many Storm bashers... Just google "BlackBerry Storm vs. iPhone"... Everyone is there to tell you that product A rather than B is the right one. Or vice versa. Furthermore, many reviewers are citing the Storm's software issues as its drawbacks.

This is naive. First, the notion that there's a "one size fit all" in a market with over 2 billion customers is just silly. Second, it is clear that in its race to release a product before Christmas, RIM has cut some corners. This happens very often (including to Apple), and is later fixed with over-the-air software upgrades, for instance. Why do you think the stock was depleted in 48 hours? Did RIM really not expect for the device to succeed, after the concerted marketing efforts?

In my mind, RIM had a situation on its hands. On the one hand - the shopping season is beckoning. On the other, the product is not yet 100% ready, and the main competitor's product is probably on the top of many people's Christmas lists. The Storm competes with the iPhone more than it does with the Bold - so whatever can be done to delay decisions, shift demand to RIM's product - is good for RIM. And that's what they did - early pre-announcement and consumer-focused campaign, got many people in the Storm camp. But wait - there's a risk. Cause if the product is a flop just because the software wasn't ready (and could have been - had you waited 6 weeks or so) - the backlash could be devastating, harm the product in the long term.

Well, did they make the right judgement call? Too soon to tell. Personally I believe the Storm software will see both glitches removed and user interfaces improved over the next 3 months. When they are, it will be a kick-ass device. Not as good for an e-mail intensive user as the BlackBerry Bold, but better than the current iPhone, for sure.

And WorldMate Live on the Storm? Just like the Storm - will get even better in a month...

WorldMate Raises a Round of funding from the BlackBerry Partners Fund and Motorola Ventures

Last week, we announced our recent round of funding, led by the BlackBerry Partners Fund. Raising money in this day and age is of course a challenge, and we're glad (and relieved) that we have completed this round. But it was as important to us to raise it from the right people. In fact a few months ago we rejected a bird in the hand (from a notable VC) for this bird on the tree, at significant risk. The reason we did this was simple. The BlackBerry Partners Fund is a fund with a real vision for the mobile internet, led by people who totally "get it". That to us has significant value. On top of that, RIM (RIMM) is a limited partner in the fund and has an open dialog with them. If you follow this blog you probably know what we think of the BlackBerry platform and how our vision is intertwined with theirs. So getting up-close-and-personal with them is something we value highly.

There are a few more companies like that in the mobile arena - Nokia, with whom we have a good relationship, Samsung, who seem to be taking their #2 position in the mobile device market seriously and are now building an eco-system, not just devices, and of course Apple. We are hoping to deepen the relationship with them too in the near future.

On winning the GSMA Award for Innovation

A few weeks ago, we were nominated as a Semi Finalist for the GSMA Innovation Awards 2009. WorldMate Live was named the most innovative mobile application in a vertical market.

This is of course a great honor. But further then that, it may be an indicator about how the mobile industry and specifically operators are seeing the future. You see - the GSMA is really an association centered around the needs and interests of mobile operators, and these awards were geared towards what is interesting to them. Taking an interest in WorldMate Live is really wanting to get involved in travel, becoming a part of the travel distribution value chain - potentially going beyond being a data-pipe into and taking a part in commercial processes done via mobile devices - m-commerce.

m-commerce has been over-generalized and over-hyped in the past. Most self proclaimed m-commerce companies are really enablers to payment, tracking and so on. That's like saying e-commerce is about clearing credit cards on the Internet. Or like saying Amazon's business is to take money from people. Yes, this is an important enabler and important aspect of it... but it totally misses the point. Building the m-commerce business is about making products that are relevant to consume or purchase while on-the-move, available to purchase in a compelling manner through mobile devices. This is no trivial feat.

Travel is going to be at least as dominant a vertical in m-commerce as it is in e-commerce. Simply because travel is mobility and you consume travel products on the move. This is what WorldMate Live is ultimately about, and we're glad to see the mobile industry is taking an interest.

iPhone Musings - Episode II

It was over a year ago when I commented on the shortcomings of the iPhone as a business tool on this blog. Since then, that post got the most reader comments I ever got here... Lately, we're inundated daily with user requests for WorldMate Live on their iPhone. And certainly - the iPhone SDK and the iPhone 3G are not to be ignored.

However, there are significant issues still. The iPhone SDK does not allow an application to update information in the background - e.g. the Auto-update functionality of WorldMate / WorldMate Live. It does not include a robust push mechanism yet, or allow us to build our own - enabling the pushed flight alerts, trip reminders and welcome messages which put the "Live" in WorldMate Live. And the iTunes App Store model is not a great match for our distribution philosophy.

So will iPhone users get WorldMate Live? Well, we'll do whatever we can. At the same time - if you want it on your iPhone, we should jointly petition Apple to enable us to do those things. I am thinking of putting up an online petition for Apple to open these APIs for us. If you're a supporter - comment here. I promise that if we get 10 people commenting, we'll post an online petition.

The cool new WorldMate Live !

We were walking around for the last few months with a strange feeling. On the one hand, we had what we believed is a kick-ass service for travelers, one of the richest, most advanced mobile services. On the other hand, it didn't feel right. Something was missing.

It was at a meeting with one heck of a smart guy, David Steinberg of CAIVIS that it dawned on us. David asked how we reached our users, and when we told him most of them encounter our service directly on their smartphones - he said "Guys, you need to wow them. You gotta make it the coolest thing they've seen on those phones!". That took me back a few years...

So - with the help of our great programmers and designers - we are now proud to present the all-new WorldMate Live. We improved the usability and UI of everything - website, web app, BlackBerry app, Windows Mobile app - everything. And we launched our new branding. So kudos to the WorldMate team, and mates - you just have to check this out at www.wmlive.com !

The Intelligent Travel Agent - Now In Your Holster

Earlier this week we have soft-launched our latest achievement and great hope for the future – our first m-commerce service. WorldMate Live now enables users to book hotel stays directly on their phones.

So what's the big deal you may ask? There are a zillion websites with hotel bookings, no?

But do you want to surf those websites on your mobile?

If you're traveling tomorrow and need a last second solution – wouldn't you rather have someone who tells you "well, you forgot to book, but no worries – I have 3 hotels just around the corner from where your meetings are tomorrow. They're also all 4-stars under $200 a night, best of all - one of them is a Hilton, so you're getting points on your HHonors card."

Well – that's exactly the WorldMate Live way of doing it. Hotel search that is based on the location of your meetings, your brand and budget preferences, and that reminds you to book in case you're embarking on a trip and haven't done so already – and then lets you complete the booking right on your smartphone with a few clicks.

And once you book – all the information flows into your WorldMate Live itinerary so WorldMate can guide you straight there.

Our version 1.0 implementation is integrated with our BlackBerry version of WorldMate Live and includes access to all Hotels.com inventory and prices. Pretty soon we will add platforms and inventory, as well as continue improving the user experience (adding AGPS and much more).

Safe Travels!